MS 1: Beginning of a Legend
by Honeystorm
Summary: Found by the wandering Cherryclan as a kit, Lightpaw knows no other life. However, she wishes that Cherrystar can deliver on her promise of a home for the clan. With the help of three clanmates and a house cat, Lightpaw finds the perfect place for her clan.
1. Prologue

The summer air was hot and dry and Bramblekit mewled with discomfort. "It's hot in here, mamma," she complained.

Her mother, Owlflower, chuckled. "Why not go outside and play with your brothers?" she asked, waving her tail in the direction of the nursery entrance. There, the squeals of Bramblekit's littermates, Dustkit and Carpkit, could be heard.

"All they do is fight," said Bramblekit with distaste. "I don't like that. It's boring. I wanna hear a _story_."

"Which one?"

"Umm...about how our camp was found?" The story of how Lavenderheart, then an apprentice, had found what was now Cherryclan's camp was one of the many stories that the cats of Cherryclan took pride in.

"Alright," sighed the queen, preparing herself for yet another recital of the lengthy story. "It goes like this..."

* * *

Carppelt looked stealthily to her kits, then back at the human. It was a losing battle, as the human held a net and with one swing, would easily capture her. "Go," she hissed to the three kits hidden in the shadow of a nearby trashcan, shivering as they watched the silent battle play out. The tom, biggest of the three, shook his head as he prepared to step out. Wherever his mother was going, he wanted to be with her.

"No, Birchkit," whispered one of his sisters, a dark ginger tabby. She put a paw on his back, ready to pin him if necessary. Birchkit hissed in reply but pulled back. "Mother said we have to go," Cherrykit murmured. "C'mon."

Cherrykit sprang free of the shadow with her siblings, Birchkit and Pikekit, momentarily surprising the human who lost sight of his target briefly. Taking advantage of the confusion, Carppelt ran in one direction and her kits in the other, thinking they were soon to be reunited. This was never to be, however, as Carppelt was captured and lived as a house cat for the rest of her days while her three kits made their way to Hibiscus, their mother's friend, who took them in after hearing their story.


	2. Allegiances

**CHERRYCLAN**

 **Leader**

Cherrystar / molly / 28 moons / longhaired dark ginger tabby with dark green eyes

 **Deputy**

Birchclaw / tom / 28 moons / longhaired silver tabby with bright green eyes

 **Medicine Cat**

Pikepelt / molly / 28 moons / golden-brown tabby with amber eyes

 **Medicine Cat Apprentice**

Brownpaw / molly / 9 moons / brown with green eyes

 **Warriors**

Blackfur / tom / 38 moons / black with green eyes

 _Apprentice: Duskpaw_

Blizzardface / molly / 30 moons / beautiful gray-and-white with yellow eyes

 _Apprentice: Mistpaw_

Dawnface / molly / 27 moons / beautiful pale ginger tabby with orange eyes

 _Apprentice: Lightpaw_

Fawnflower / molly / 28 moons / light brown with orange eyes

Gingerstorm / molly / 26 moons / ginger tabby with a white locket and yellow eyes

Goldenwhisker / tom / 33 moons / golden tabby with white toes and green eyes

Magpiecloud / tom / 33 moons / black tuxedo with green eyes

Rainfang / molly / 28 moons / blue ticked tabby with gold eyes

Silvertail / molly / 34 moons / pale gray tabby with green eyes

Tawnystripe / molly / 46 moons / light brown tabby with yellow eyes

 _Apprentice: Nightpaw_

Whiteclaw / molly / 59 moons / ginger van with amber eyes

 **Apprentices**

Duskpaw / tom / 7 moons / dusky-brown with a white chest, muzzle, and amber eyes

Lightpaw / molly / 7 moons / pale gray with orange eyes

Mistpaw / molly / 8 moons / gray with green eyes

Nightpaw / tom / 8 moons / black with green eyes

 **Queens**

Beewhisker / molly / 31 moons / golden tortoiseshell spotted tabby with gold eyes

 **Kits**

None

 **Elders**

None


	3. Chapter 1

Lightpaw trotted into Cherryclan's temporary camp-nothing more than a tiny clearing around a stump, really-with her mentor and dropped her catch of a bird and two mice onto the prey pile. She was proud of herself for catching so much prey as only her adopted brother, Nightpaw, had caught more. But then, he always did. She heard talking and swiveled her ears to catch the end of Cherrystar's speech.

"This means that if we don't find a suitable camp within the moon, we must leave this territory as we are unable to protect our most vulnerable without an established camp," concluded Cherrystar. The dark ginger molly waved her tail in dismissal and hopped off the stump.

Lightpaw looked around for Dawnface who seemed to have disappeared into the crowd. Unable to find her mentor, the pale gray apprentice decided instead to look for her best friend, Dustkpaw. He was kind, funny and attentive, everything she liked. Her adopted sister, Mistpaw, had once teased Lightpaw of having a crush on him, something she'd never confirmed nor denied.

As she weaved through the warriors surrounding the stump, Lightpaw bumped into a mass of dark fur; Blackfur, Duskpaw's mentor. "Watch it," he grumbled, raising his head and tail aloofly as he walked away.

Lightpaw and Mistpaw shared the opinion that Blackfur seemed to have a word for every occasion, whether pleasant or unpleasant. Duskpaw thought his mentor was great, however, and Lightpaw had seen Blackfur's kinder side to other warriors, most notably Dawnface. She turned around again and jerked back as she realized that she had nearly headbutted Duskpaw in the muzzle.

"Where've you been?" he asked excitedly. "I haven't seen you since you went hunting!" Apprentices rotated training duties, going out to hunt or spar every other day. The rest of the time, they were stuck in camp or helping to run errands.

"You know that I only just got back," chided Lightpaw. "And guess what?"

"What?"

"I caught more prey than Dawnface!"

Duskpaw's eyes widened in surprise. "More prey than your _mentor_? That's great! Did you catch more prey than Nightpaw?"

"No," sighed Lightpaw. "But I almost did!"

* * *

It was close to sunset by the time the clan had regrouped and now, everyone was allowed to eat. First, Beewhisker and the apprentices ate, to keep up their strength. Then, the warriors ate and finally, the high ranks took their share. No one got more than a mouse or half a bird. Pickings were slim, as the clan was wary of loners, clowders, and gangs.

As she sat next to Duskpaw, Lightpaw thought about Cherrystar's speech. The leader had said that if they couldn't find a camp, they would have to leave yet another perfectly suitable territory. _Nothing ever seems to be good enough,_ she thought darkly. _And no one's brave enough to complain. Well_ I'm _brave enough!_ I _will say something!_ Out loud, she said, "Everyone complains about not having the 'perfect' camp but no one's willing to do _anything_ about it." She glared at the half-thrush she was supposed to be eating.

"Yeah," sighed Duskpaw with a glance at his parents. Goldenwhisker and Rainfang looked tired but much healthier than they had been less than a moon cycle ago.

"So why not do something ourselves?" asked Lightpaw innocently. "Like take a patrol, look for something?"

"Wait a moment," said Duskpaw slowly, "you're saying...that we should leave the clan? And look by ourselves?"

"Well," said Lightpaw quickly, "I'd ask Cherrystar first... I wouldn't _dream_ of going alone!"

Duskpaw snickered. "But what if she refuses?" he asked more seriously. "What'll you do then?"

Lightpaw blinked. She hadn't considered the possibility of failure but now that she thought about it, it _was_ more likely that Cherrystar would refuse because apprentices were vital to the future of the clan. But would she consent to send out warriors? Maybe, as a search party made of warriors might be safer.

"I don't know," replied Lightpaw. "Maybe she'll agree?" _Not too likely, though,_ she thought. Duskpaw's face mirrored her thoughts but she knew that she'd find a way. She just had to.


	4. Chapter 2

The next morning, it was Lightpaw's turn to stay in camp while Duskpaw and Mistpaw, along with their mentors and a couple other warriors, went hunting. Now was her chance.

"Magpiecloud? Daddy?" Lightpaw asked the tuxedo tom. Her adoptive parents were just barely stirring at the sound of her voice. _Maybe they won't realize what I'm up to,_ she thought. _Maybe I can do this!_

"Yes?" Magpiecloud replied, sleepiness evident in his tone.

"Do you know where Cherrystar is?" she asked, a nervous quiver in her voice.

"What for?" he asked, confused. Green eyes blinked and a fog seemed to clear from them. "Are you unhappy? Do you want to talk to me about it?"

"N-no," said Lightpaw quickly with a flick of her ears. "I just wanted to ask her something...about patrols! I wanted to go on more patrols."

Magpiecloud's tail twitched, the only sign of his amusement and incredulity. "Alright," he replied. "She was sleeping with Silvertail and Gingerstorm when I saw her last night." He nodded in a direction and put his head back down. His eyes closed and his breathing soon became rhythmic.

Lightpaw sighed with relief. "Thanks, dad," she whispered before padding away in the direction she was shown. She found Cherrystar, Birchclaw, Gingerstorm, Silvertail, and Whiteclaw awake and talking quietly. The apprentice hovered near them for a bit, hesitating. Cherrystar probably had better things to do than listen to the clan's youngest _apprentice_ , after all. But Lightpaw couldn't-no, _wouldn't_ -turn back. Not now, not ever. Her mind made up, she walked up to the leader.

"Hello?" Lightpaw whispered, shaking slightly. Her tail whipped back and forth and her ears were pinned to the sides of her head.

Birchclaw turned his head to her and his bright green eyes widened with surprise. "Lightpaw!" he exclaimed. "Come here."

Though her heart was hammering, Lightpaw forced herself to take a step forward and lie down. Her vision darkened for a moment and the talking became buzzing. The feeling passed and she saw Gingerstorm looking worriedly at her. Lightpaw steadied her breathing. "Could...could I speak to Cherrystar in private?" she mumbled.

"Hmm?" asked Whiteclaw.

"CanIspeakwithCherrystar?" Lightpaw asked in a slightly louder voice.

Cherrystar regarded the light gray apprentice for a moment, cool green eyes appraising. Birchclaw looked at his sister and twitched his tail in silent communication. _Why not?_ he was asking. A flick of Cherrystar's brows and a small dip of her head gave the answer. _I suppose._ "I will grant this request," she said quietly. "Please make sure that no one disturbs us." Gingerstorm, Silvertail, and Whiteclaw rose to their feet and, with encouraging smiles aimed at Lightpaw, walked just out of earshot. Birchclaw stayed where he lay, bushy tail flopped across his hind legs.

"What is it that you want?" asked Cherrystar, breaking the silence between them.

Lightpaw froze. How to say this? How to put this? Was she stupid for asking a meeting? Apprentices didn't just meet with the _leader_. Warriors did. Senior warriors and the deputy did.

"Go on," drawled Birchclaw. "I'll make sure she won't bite. She's never managed to pin me yet."

Cherrystar huffed with annoyance, shooting a glare at her deputy. "I'll have you know that you still haven't beaten either of us in hunting. For Starclan's sake, even _Nightpaw_ is a better hunter than you!"

Birchclaw muttered something under his breath that sounded very rude and Cherrystar batted at his ear in response. Lightpaw relaxed slightly. She could do this. She _had_ to. And that the leader had taken a personal interest in the apprentices boded well, didn't it? She breathed out and spoke. "Well, uhh, I was thinking that ifwesentoutsearchparties, maybewecouldactuallyfindacamp?"

"Slow down," advised Birchclaw. "Breathe." He gave her a little smile of encouragement.

Lightpaw breathed. In and out. In and out. And spoke. "Well, I was thinking that if we-I mean you-" she said to Cherryclaw, "sent out search parties, maybe we could actually find a camp?"

"It's too much of a risk," said Cherrystar evenly. "The search parties could get lost. Those remaining behind could get lost."

"Well," said Lightpaw more contrarily, "this area can easily support a group. We could just have the group remain behind while a couple others look for a suitable territory and then meet back here after a predetermined amount of time!" Cherrystar looked as though she was about to speak, but Lightpaw didn't want to wait anymore. "Look. This forest can _easily_ support the clan. There's plenty of food and I have no doubt that somewhere, we can find your 'perfect' place to live. Remember that lake we saw near the human territory? Great water source! And we've come across a few streams. Also, there are _so_ , many,clearings that we could fortify like this one. But we haven't seen a single predator so why bother even that? The weather's nice, too. And I just...I just..." Lightpaw's voice softened from the near-shout she was using a moment before. "I just want Cherryclan, my _home_ to have a home," she whispered, ducking her head in embarrassment. Now that the moment of passion was over, she realized just how big of a mistake she had made. How much of the clan had heard her shouting at the _leader_? Looking around surreptitiously, she saw that most of the clan was looking away from her, the leader, and the deputy.

Cherrystar's tail twitched with evident irritation. "I understand your concerns," she growled, "but-"

Lightpaw exploded. "There aren't any 'buts,' Cherrystar!" she yelled. "If we don't establish a proper territory, we might as well call ourselves loners! No one joined this clan just to wander around; we joined because we wanted a stable home. A _home_ , Cherrystar. You might not hear anything but that's because everyone else is too terrified to speak up! And I know that some-"

Cherrystar's eyes glowed with fury and her fur bristled. There was an odd sound coming from her throat and Lightpaw stopped talking, sure that she had made the worst mistake of her life. She was definitely going to be exiled for her impertinence. She shouldn't have done this. She should have backed down earlier. The leader's mouth opened...and out came a laugh, a foreign sound from her.

"You have courage," chuckled Cherrystar, "and have made your point. But don't," she said, eyes hardening, " _ever_ talk to me like that again."

Lightpaw nodded mutely.

"I grant you, your mentor, and no more than two cats of your choosing permission to look for what you believe to be a suitable, defensible, camp." Cherrystar looked around at all the cats who had frozen during Lightpaw's shouting. "And what are you all doing, standing around like that?" she called. "This is a private matter." Heartbeats later, the camp was once more full of chattering and the leader turned back to the apprentice. "I will send out some more search parties, as you so kindly suggested. You will leave at moonhigh. Now go."

Cherrystar returned to her resting position and closed her eyes. Birchclaw's whiskers twitched and he jerked his head towards Lightpaw. _Good job,_ he was saying. _I'm proud._ Heart pounding and body tingling, Lightpaw turned and walked away, full of fear and excitement at the task that lay ahead.


	5. Chapter 3

Lightpaw sat down a few cat-lengths away from Cherrystar, feeling dizzy and elated. The camp around her was silent and she closed her eyes to ground herself. Finally ready, she stood up and looked around for her mentor, Dawnface. It was not hard to find the pale ginger molly, who was sharing prey with Tawnystripe and Blizzardface. As Lightpaw approached, the warriors started talking loudly about the day's hunts and Beewhisker's pregnancy. When she reached the warriors, she paused and opened her mouth. But nothing came out.

"Everyone could hear from across camp," said Tawnystripe flatly. "Moonhigh. Search party."

Dawnface's tail twitched gently. _Come sit by me._ Lightpaw moved to huddle in her mentor's warmth. "Don't be so mean to her," chided Dawnface gently. "She got done what not even Whiteclaw could."

"An _apprentice_ ," emphasized Tawnystripe, "shouldn't talk to the _leader_ like that."

"And surely the fact that you're an old crow has nothing to do with this?" asked Blizzardface innocently but a twitch of her whiskers gave away her merriment.

Tawnystripe scowled and looked away haughtily. "Age has nothing to do with this," she said stiffly. "Rank does."

"Mhmm," said Dawnface. "And I'm going to guess that you want to ask Duskpaw to come with you?"

Lightpaw nodded mutely.

Dawnface huffed, amused. "We'll have to bring along Blackfur, then. I don't think he'd let that kit out of his sight for even a heartbeat."

"He's not a kit!" Lightpaw protested. "He's almost a warrior!"

Dawnface traded unreadable glances with Tawnystripe and Blizzardface. "Still, it would look very bad for Blackfur if he let his apprentice go face whatever dangers we might find alone."

"But we wo-!"

"In this case, Tawnystripe is right. You're apprentices and so we, your mentors, must look after you until Cherrystar decides that you're old enough and mature enough to be warriors. So," Dawnface said with finality, "if Duskpaw comes, Blackfur has to come as well."

Lightpaw scowled. But Dawnface was probably right. She always was in the end.

* * *

When Lightpaw approached Duskpaw-who had come back into camp with his mentor-later that day, he agreed without hesitation and after a moment, Blackfur had said that he would be coming along with his apprentice. At first, Lightpaw was confused. She had thought that Blackfur would ban her best friend from coming on "a fool's errand" as was his favorite phrase but the shy glance he shot at Dawnface made everything clear: Blackfur was in love. It was a wonder that Lightpaw hadn't seen it before as he always was so nervous around Dawnface and seemed to make every excuse to tag along with her-not that Lightpaw minded spending more time with Duskpaw, of course. Lightpaw's thoughts were broken by a question from Duskpaw.

"Do you know when we're going?" he asked eagerly.

"Moonhigh," replied Lightpaw. "I guess we'll just leave then once Cherrystar explains everything?" She looked at the two warriors but Dawnface's tail twitched and Blackfur looked away. Neither knew any more than she did, apparently.

"I don't think I'll sleep!" groaned Duskpaw, claws sliding out from his front toes and then back in again. His face lit up suddenly and Lightpaw cocked her head, asking him silently what was so funny. "Imagine what Mistpaw's going to say."

Lightpaw chuckled. Though she was a great sister and clanmate, Mistpaw had the unfortunate tendency towards competition. Hopefully, this would make Mistpaw realize that competition was an an annoying and unnecessary thing but more likely, it would make her feel as though Lightpaw had "outdone" her somehow. Although, Lightpaw supposed, being able to talk the leader into doing what she did _was_ pretty impressive for an apprentice. Wow. Had she really managed to get herself sent on an expedition? She...she somehow had. Wow.

"You shouldn't laugh," chided Dawnface gently. "It's rude. Although I suppose that we should talk to Blizzardface to make sure that Mistpaw will be alright."

"I can do that," said Blackfur. "I think they should be coming back now, if they haven't already."

"Thank you, Blackfur," said Dawnface.

* * *

That night, Lightpaw couldn't sleep. She was terrified of what tomorrow might hold, as she had grown up in the clan and had never been truly alone without her family. What if she failed? What if... What if she died? This would either be the worst mistake or the luckiest thing to ever happen to her, she thought. She supposed that she would find out. Finally, she drifted off to sleep and the next thing she knew was Dawnface nudging her awake.

"It's time," she whispered, stepping back to let Lightpaw rise. Birchclaw was nearby, silver fur shining in the moonlight. His tail twitched with impatience and Lightpaw hurried to wake herself.

"Alright," the deputy said quietly once the four cats-two warriors and two apprentices-had gathered around him. "Cherrystar is giving you six moons cycles. In three moons, we'll head back to the nearest human territory. Remember the one?" The four nodded. Lightpaw remembered how they had been chased through the streets by hostile loners who had wanted to protect themselves from "intrusion" as they'd called it. Why Cherrystar would take them back was a mystery to her. "After six moons, you'll be considered dead to the clan and we'll move on." Birchclaw's body betrayed no emotion as he spoke. "Don't waste your time."

Lightpaw shivered. Though six moons sounded like plenty of time, it was too easy to imagine how they might get sidetracked or lost. Her ears briefly flattened in fear as she thought of the terrifying possibility of finding the perfect place _after_ six moons had passed and the clan had moved on. But they'd run through the city when they'd get there. _If_ they'd get there.

"C'mon," murmured Dawnface with a nudge that broke Lightpaw from her thoughts. "Let's get going." To Birchclaw, she flashed a smile and said: "We'll see you in six moons." The silver tabby deputy dipped his head and retreated, likely to go back to sleep. Blackfur took the lead and the three followed him out of the camp. They were on their own now, with freedom to travel where they pleased and no one else to help.


End file.
